Week 48 - This was not a relaxing Pday... It was better. :)

Picking Strawberries

Jan 23

Hi Family!!

I just had a great time today. We went to a BBQ and chit-chatted with some people in the ward, we also went strawberry picking and took pictures in a flower sea. It was so much fun. I love my ward. They are so good to us! We don't have very much time to email today because we played too much today so its going to be choppy and short, but I still hope that you guys get the jist of my week. :)

The ward has us scheduled for dinner and lunch everyday this week. I am so excited. EVerything is closed during Guonian=Chinese New Years.

I found out a couple things about Chinese New Year: If you drop your Chopsticks it means that people are going to ask you out to eat. ha Their New Years Eve they make fish to eat but the don’t eat it all because fish is a sign of good luck and foturne and so they leave some of the fish uneaten to bring wealth and good fortune in the coming year.

Everyone give and gets Hongbaos - Red envelopes of money. We made our Missionary Hongbaos. We put fake cash inside and put a scripture on the back. It was really fun. I feel like this week is way way more exciting then Christmas. Ha

Ok I will tell you guys more about it next week, when I find out more and I have more time.

I feel like it has been a long time since I told you guys about how missionary work is going. I am sorry. It’s going good. It’s going really good. The Elders and Sisters of Tanzi have committed to really putting our heart and soul into the ward so we can have good relations. This week that included: Putting together a service program for the Young Men, going over to Ward Members houses and getting to know them, preparing spiritual messages and hongbaos, have a lot of members help us teach and going out and doing missionary work with them.

Anyways, I will tell you about Zhou Xing Ting next week. She is hilarious, and she wants me to be her daughter-in-law.

Being a missionary is really special. It’s totally different then you think it is, and so better in other ways you couldn’t even imagine. I have been a roller coaster mess this week, but things are starting to smooth out. It’s all apart of growing into that person the Lord wants you to be I guess.

I sure love you guys! Happy Chinese New Year! When I get home we can celebrate it next year ok?

Have a great week!!

Love Sister Lee

Week 47 My So what a week!

Eating Birthday Gyoza!

Birthday Presents!

1-16-12

So here is the deal... The mission gives us an hour and a half to email our family. I usually take 45 min to 2 hours because our family is so big. . We were already doing totally fine, but we raised the standard and so now I don’t have as much time to email. I just wanted to tell you so you can tell everyone and if my email sounds lame-o it’s because I don’t have any time. No worries! We can just write a lot of letters. I would love to get letters! :)

Birthday!! Yay!! It was a good day. My companion gave me a left over Christmas card and some candy, and wasn’t in a bad mood which made me really happy. She even said we could go eat whatever I wanted. haha The Fengyuan Sisters were adorable and oh so good to me. They sang me happy birthday in the morning with the guitar and hit me awake with a pillow fight as my companion was in the shower. They made me breakfast, and put love notes on my bike. When I came home later that night I got home before them, and they came in singing happy birthday with treats and a little cake. :) Because of move calls I sadly didn’t get any letters or packages. They are holding them until everyone moves. It’s ok. I called the office, and it definitely came on time, I just didn’t get it. :) Oh President and Sister Bishop also called and sang me happy birthday. I really had a great day. It was kinda cool because the country election was on Saturday I had my own fireworks show. Definitely a birthday to remember.

This move call I am staying with my companion, in my area. It’s going to be hard, but I can do it. Our wards focus is missionary work for this year. They really want to increase ward attendance as well as baptize more people. It’s an incredible ward. I am so lucky. I can’t wait. My companion and I had a good talk last night about our relationship, and if we want success we need to work on being friends.

I’m doing good. I’m happy. Happier today then I was last week. I am growing and I can feel it. I am being stretched and it’s so uncomfortable, but when things are good between my companion and I, I can feel that Heavenly Father is proud of us that we are making it work. I love my mission and I’m grateful to be here.

That’s everything for now.

Love you all,

Sister Lee

Week 46 - I totally forgot!

Sister Exchanges with Sister Lethco

Got caught studying.

My companion got a hair cut.

I was feeling so relaxed during emailing today, and it is because I totally forgot to write this family email!

Ah sorry everyone...haha

Real quick:

Monday: Can’t remember

Tuesday: Sister Exchanges

Wednesday: Rained all day. We switched back but forgot to give the keys to back to the sister’s bike and so we spent all day on the bus and at English class.

Thursday: So awesome! Rained all day again. We had the perfect mix of everything. Visited with Members, had new lessons, visited LA and it all went so smoothly. It was probably my favorite day

Friday: Can’t remember

Saturday: Had an awesome day like Thursday

Sunday: Had a great day like Saturday

I know I know really really lame email. I’m sorry! I’m out of time. :(

I still love you!!

Love Sis Lee

Week 45 - I think I told you most of this but...

It feels like I talked to all of you guys forever ago??

I am in a time warp. I come home from my mission this year. Tai kuaghang= Too crazy

New Years was exciting. It was great telling everyone: "Xinnian kuaile"=Happy New Years! I was talking to my companion and I feel like a lot of people are going to get baptized this year because everyone is afraid the end of the world is coming. It’s a strange feeling being a missionary at the time of the "end of the world".

The first day of the year was a Sunday. Too perfect huh... We had investigator, less actives, and recent converts all attend and so it was really a great seeing everyone.

I had a really good week. It was busy, and full of really good lessons. We found lots of really cool new people, and have been seeing a lot of success recently. I can’t really remember anything too crazy or important to even tell you guys. ha sorry! If I think of anything I will tape about it later on today.

Yesterday I was reading all of my notes from the MTC and it was crazy how much good stuff I learned in that place that I can actually use in the mission field. ha Who woulda thought? ;) One thing I reread yesterday that someone during devotional encouraged us to do was to write down all the spiritual experiences you have and keep good track of them. That is one of my new years resolutions. I just wanted to share one right now.

On Saturday we were leaving our apartment to go teach one of our progressing investigators. For some random reason I felt like we should go a different way. As we were traveling I saw a mom waiting for the light to turn green, and decided to talk to her. I slowed down, said hello, told her how I was so grateful for this gospel and how much it blessed my life and asked her if we could meet with her. She agreed! We wrote down her information, and have an appointment to see her this week. It may sound really small and insignificant, but I know that we were supposed to find her. It doesn't matter if it’s a small thing or a big thing, but blessing always come from heading to the promptings of the spirit. Sometimes we get to see the results of the prompting, and sometimes we don’t. The important thing is that we listened, and obeyed.

When I first started my mission it was really hard knowing how and when the spirit was talking to me. The more I have learned and studied what the spirit is, and the more I have experienced its promptings the easier it is for me to recognize. It has come step by step and inch by inch. It has always been a blessing in my life. On my mission I am lucky enough to learn about the blessings of the Holy Ghost on a whole new level.

One of my favorite scriptures about the Holy Ghost is in 3 Nephi. The Lord has just come down and has started ministering to the Nephites. He teaches his apostles how to pray and then commands them to teach the multitude how to pray. Everyone starts pouring out their souls, and Jesus tells everyone to pray without ceasing. After they are done praying they all ask for the thing which they desire the most, and that is the Holy Ghost. Cool huh! They haven't even been baptized yet, but they know how incredible it is, and they want it. I know that the guidance and presence of the spirit is such a blessing in our lives. Lets do all we can to invite it, understand it, and follow its promptings. Ok that's all I have to say. :)

I love you.

Love Sister Lee

Week 44 - Christmas Day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It was so good seeing and talking to everyone!!!! I love you guys all so much! I am happy...I am really really happy! :)

Yay...opening presents!

Meryy Christmas from US!

More presents!

The whole mission caroling!

Week 43 - Merry Christmas!!

12/19/11

Hi fam damly!

I’m really excited to talk to you all this next week. We wont have much time, so think of the very most important things you want to tell me, or the questions you want to ask. I love you guys! I get nervous just thinking about it! ha I’ve got lots of fun stuff to tell you that you haven’t ever heard me say before. ;) Merry Christmas!! Talk to you guys soon.

Chen Li Fen is baptized!! We are so proud of her. We had the service right after church and a lot of members were there to support her. I cry at every baptism, and this one was just like the others... ha I cant imagine how happy Heavenly Father feels when one of his sons or daughters decided to get baptized. Do you think he cries too? Every baptism is a miracle, and I know that there is no other thing more important then inviting people to listen, to feel, and to accept how this message can bless their life. Its Gods plan, and when you see it come into play there just inst words for how cool it is.

Yesterday was my favorite day of the week. Not only did Sister Chen get baptized, but we had two new investigators at her baptism. It was so cool that they got to be there for that. I will tell you more about them in a minuet. Anyways, we got invited over for a joint FHE Christmas dinner by people in the ward. We had a great time getting to know them better and had a good spiritual share. Later we tracted into a girl that we got to pray with. She was really touched that we cared enough about her to pray for her. It was cool being able to give her that little opportunity to tell her God loves her through prayer. After that we biked over to the church and got to watch the Christmas devotional. It was so good! I love it... The new movies about Christ were so cool. :) It was a very happy day yesterday.

Saturday we met this great family! We tracted into their house earlier in the week, and Mom invited us back when her kids where home. Their family is Christian and they have been church hoping almost their whole lives trying to find a church that fits best with their family. We invited them to church, and they had a great time. They are coming back next week. :) Later that night we were able to have some less active action and meet tons of new less actives we have been trying to get a hold of forever. Later that night were invited by the Bishopric to go caroling! It was so fun. We invited one of our LA's in the ward to come with us and he came! We had to end up leaving early, but he stayed. He ended up caroling with the Stake President, and the Bishopric. Ha He had a great time.

This week it was freezing cold, and it totally felt like Christmas. Now it is frying hot and it feels like fall. Oh Taiwan. :)

The rest of the week was really good. Seeing mini miracles here and there, having a good time, and having chances to have my Chinese improve.

I love you guys a lot. Thanks for the prayers and love. I am so excited for this weeks mission Christmas activity and talking to you guys.

Love you!! Talk to you soon. :)

Sis Lee

Week 42 - :)

Dec 12

Christmas time is coming. We got to go shopping in Taichung today because my companion needed to buy a coat. There were lots more Christmas decorations in the city then there are in Tanzi... :)

Thank you so so so much for the package! Everything about it was perfect. I was really happy. I feel really spoiled. Sister Tan and I were super excited about the music our companions don’t really celebrate Christmas either, but they did love the chocolate. Thanks mom. You are really great. I love you! I am excited for you guys to get your Christmas package from yours truly Sister Lee. :)

It was a good week. We saw lots of mini miracles everyday. I feel super super lucky... I have been totally stressed out of my mind about taking care of my companion and my area, but it all worked out just like it always does. Heavenly Father has been really mindful of me and my prayers. It’s been a successful week, and I know without his help things wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as they had.

Miracles as follows:

Thursday: We went tracting that day and had a lot of success. Taught lessons and set up return appointments. Because of that hour of tracting, we were able to hit almost all of our goals for that day. :)

Friday: We went and visited Ren Mama so she could meet my companion Sister Chen. They got along great, and it was a great chance to review all the things we have taught her and a chance to finish teaching all of the commandments. Ren Mama has such a great testimony on prayer. We committed her to get baptized on Christmas Eve.

Saturday: We went and visited a lot of our less actives and recent converts. We all had really great lessons and the day flew by because we were so busy. We were also invited to go caroling with our ward! Chen dixiong dressed up as Santa and we were able to invite a lot of people to our service activity! We also found an adorable little girl tracting. We prayed with her and she committed to meet with us.

Sunday: Chen Li Fen came to church and we had a great lesson after church! She has come to church three times, is following all of the commandments and has a great testimony. She really is our miracle. She was investigator that was prepared way before we met her. She is getting baptized only after meeting with her in person 3 times. So cool. :) Another miracle was that when we came home from Church the Fengyuan sisters said they had a family come to church and that they all want to be baptized but they found out that they live our area and so they referred us! We were really excited. We met with them later that night, and had a great lesson. We also got to celebrate their daughter’s birthday with them. She turned one yesterday and we all ate tarro cake. :) It was great.

Everyday has gone by so fast, and we have seen so many little things happen that you know exactly that God was in charge and made it happen that way. My cute little companion is doing great, and is willing to work hard with me. I’m blessed. Really blessed.

I love you all really lots and lots. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers and thoughts. I know I am blessed as I am because you guys pray for me. Do you have any questions about my life? I feel like sometimes my emails are really boring. They don’t even capture a smidgen of what my week was really like. I try and mention the details, and the highlights, but I just don’t feel like I do it justice. ha

Love Sis Lee

P.S. I am obsessed with this Taiwan place. Here are some reasons why.

They have the cutest winter clothes I have ever seen.

There oranges are green

Before they eat off of public wooden chopsticks they rub them together so they can get all the splinters out.

People put CDs on the front of their bikes for reflectors

Everyday on the street I fight with old ladies about who is prettier